


(baby you're) super

by SafelyCapricious



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 19:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3907168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SafelyCapricious/pseuds/SafelyCapricious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They give him what amount to super powers and then they try to brainwash him. Needless to say, it doesn’t stick. He has to hand it to whoever in HYDRA’s upper echelon decided on the order of the procedure.</p><p>Superheros, supervillains and 'for your own good' ignorance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the reveal

They give him what amount to super powers and then they try to brainwash him. Needless to say, it doesn’t stick. He has to hand it to whoever in HYDRA’s upper echelon decided on the order of the procedure.

Which means that the first thing that he actually does, once he wakes up from the extremely painful procedure to find out that though they haven’t perfected the super-soldier-serum, they did find a version that doesn’t immediately lead to madness – is destroy the entire facility he’s being held on. Well, other than get poked and prodded and for someone to try to chain him down in front of the mind control device. 

The second thing he does, once he’s had something to eat and had a chance to stretch his legs, is go after his brother.

He’s sure it’s only a matter of time before HYDRA comes after him with everything they have, and he’ll be damned if he lets his brother live out his life. He hasn’t been allowed off the base since he entered the program, and before that he was too busy trying to keep Garrett from killing himself – and before that he was undercover and Grant Ward: Agent of SHIELD wouldn’t be trying to kill his brother. 

And maybe he gets cocky and takes Christian from his car in the middle of a crowded city, and it’s possible that there are some civilian injuries – but he’s killed more people under orders and these were people who worked for his brother, how faultless could they be? But that is no reason for some masked super-hero, apparently calling himself The Marvel, to show up and ruin his revenge. 

The bastard can fly. 

Grant is less than pleased to discover that broken ribs hurt just as much after his procedure as before. They heal quicker, but they hurt the whole goddamn time. 

He plays it safer, the second time. Going after his brother at the cabin. 

Apparently the flying bastard gave Grant’s brother his phone number, and so he gets foiled again. 

The third time he decides to look into The Marvel first. 

It takes him less than 48 hours to not just discover the hero’s alter ego, and though obviously the fact that he was the head of his class at the academy and has been a spy for all of his adult life helps…it wasn’t actually necessary. He’s vaguely shamed that this is who has been managing to stop his very simple goals. 

The Marvel’s real name is Leopold Fitz, and he’s a rocket scientist. Nearly everyone he interacts with seems to know he’s the hero, with Skye Johnson going so far as to accidentally call The Marvel, ‘Fitz’ multiple times.

It doesn’t take him long to decide on a plan. 

Skye is obviously in love with Leopold – and really what a pretentious name, Grant is embarrassed for him – but Leopold is clearly in love with Jemma Simmons. She’s a small pretty thing who works in the same building but on a different floor. 

By the third day of his investigation, Grant discovers that all three of them were originally SHIELD. It only gives him a moments pause, however, before he finds out that while Skye was at least communications, the other two were science and technology, so he’s not overly concerned. 

It’s not until Jemma shoots him with something that makes his arm numb for a good five minutes – unprecedented and impressive since his procedure – that he remembers the name FitzSimmons. He’s a little embarrassed about that too. But he still manages to knock her out and take her hostage. 

He doesn’t actually want to hurt her – this isn’t about her, it’s not even really about Leopold, he just wants to kill his brother. Oh, he’ll kill them both if that’s the only way, but it would be a shame. So he ties her up, carefully, and has a sandwich while he waits for her to come to.

He’s brushing crumbs off his hands when she wakes up. She doesn’t move though, feigning unconsciousness. Which means she’s probably woken up in a similar situation before. He idly wonders if it’s because of SHIELD or because of The Marvel. She’s not very good at it, but he lets her adjust for a few long moments before scraping his foot against the ground. She looks up and he tries not to wince at how terrified she looks – terrified but not surprised. 

He tries to offer her a smile, though he’s sure it won’t reassure her. She tugs at her bound hands and scowls at him. “What do you want?”

He holds his hands out in a peaceful gesture, which doesn’t seem to reassure her at all. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you. I just want _The Marvel_ ,” he can’t help but sneer a little as he says it, “distracted enough that he won’t interrupt me.”

She scoffs and asks, “And how exactly is kidnaping me supposed to help with that?”

He arches an eyebrow and says, “Well, because he’s in love with you.” 

She blinks and seems honestly taken aback, before rallying to say, “He’s not in love with me. I don’t even know him.” 

He chokes on what he was about to say and pauses, taking a long moment to really look at her. There’s a bruised look around her eyes that’s not fear of him, and there’s a tremble to her lower lip and fuck. He rubs a palm over his face for a moment before sighing. He stands up from his chair, ignores her flinch at his movement, and starts to carefully untie her. 

She’s silent until her wrists are untied and she’s rubbing at them. “What are you doing?” 

He stands up, ignores her question, and asks, “Would you like something to drink? I have water, orange juice, tea, coffee or milk.” 

She hesitates for a moment and wets her lips, before saying, “Tea would be lovely, thank you.” 

He can almost see her scold herself for thanking him, and he turns away so she won’t see his smile. By the time he’s pushing tea and milk and sugar across the coffee table to her, she’s untied her ankles. 

Her hands are steady as she fixes her tea, and he wonders if it’s the act of making tea that’s calmed her down or simply being untied. He tries not to grin too obviously at the little pleased hum she makes after her first sip.

He waits until she’s settled down, until some of the tension has leaked from her shoulders, but she beats him to the punch and speaks first. “So, am I actually kidnapped or is this just a very odd tea party?” 

He grins and tips his own mug of tea at her before taking a sip, but he’s serious when he puts it down and watches her over steepled fingers. “This is an intervention, actually.” 

She blinks and stares blankly at him for a moment before asking, incredulously, “An intervention?” 

He nods in confirmation and keeps eye contact. “Yeah.”

She scoffs and waves a hand through the air, saying incredulously, “You expect me to believe you’re going to…what, help me? You kidnapped me to kill me!”

He holds his hands up again and leans back in his chair, trying to make her believe he is honestly harmless now. And he is. Before he was willing to sacrifice her for a shot at his brother, now, well, he’s not. “Whoa, hey, I never planned to kill you. In fact, I really don’t want you to die because then The Marvel would probably kill me and I don’t want to die. I just wanted you to be in enough danger to keep him busy for a few hours.” 

She narrows her eyes at him, but looks slightly less afraid again. He’s glad. “But now you’re not going to do that?” she asks, suspiciously.

He nods and takes a sip of his tea. “No. I’m not.”

“Why?” Her eyes narrow further.

He sighs and grimaces, waving a hand through the air – he’s pleased when she doesn’t flinch at all at the motion. “Look, I’ve been watching him for a few days and I honestly thought that everyone knew his secret identity – but you don’t and as I’ve already said, I don’t actually want to become his nemesis or something. But look, you’re in danger and you deserve to know.”

He can see that she still doesn’t care about the Marvel. Which is understandable. She doesn’t know that he’s her friend who’s in love with her yet. She scoffs and taps her finger against the side of her teacup. “So what, you’re just going to tell me who The Marvel is out of the goodness of your heart?”

He clicks his tongue and takes a sip of his tea before deciding to be completely truthful with her. “Honestly? There are two parts to it. I’m hoping that you being pissed off that they’ve been lying to you and probably gas-lighting you – all to ‘protect you’ – is going to distract him enough for me to do my thing still. Secondly, I really don’t like abuse. And them doing this to you is abuse.” 

Her shoulders relax back a bit and she picks up her teacup again, closing her eyes in pleasure before turning them back to him. “What is your thing?”

He’s enjoying this honestly thing, so he goes with, “I’m going to kill my brother.”

Her teacup clatters as she sets it roughly back on the table and her fingers are trembling again, although her voice is steady. “Oh, so you’re not comfortable with abuse but murder is fine?”

He shrugs and sighs before saying plainly, “I was in Ops in SHIELD all of my adult life. We called it other things, but it was always just killing.” He shakes his head and shrugs again, looking off to the side. He’s not sure why he wants her to understand, but he does. His voice is softer when he says, “And my brother abused me. Me and my little brother.”

She scowls at him. It’s adorable. “That doesn’t give you the right to kill him.” She shakes her head and he almost feels disappointed in himself.

But regardless of shame or guilt or really anything, he’s still going to kill Christian. So he shrugs and doesn’t even try to pretend that he feels badly about it. “Maybe not, but I’m going to anyways. I’m not a good person and I’m okay with that. And Christian Ward is responsible for a lot of how I ended up.”

There’s a look he can’t explain on her face and she asks, hesitantly “…Christian Ward? The Senator?”

He arches an eyebrow and wonders if she voted for him, before nodding. “Yeah.”

Her nose wrinkles and her mouth forms a moue of disgust. “Oh.”

It’s not the reaction he’s expecting, so he tilts his head and asks, “Oh, what?”

She shakes her head and takes another sip of her tea, staring down at it before saying, “Nothing, just…he has some very out dated views on woman’s reproductive rights and the definition of rape.” Her frown gets fiercer for a moment and he wonders if she’s about to give him her blessing, but then she shakes her head again and looks at him disapprovingly. “I’m only judging a little but, I still don’t think you should kill him. Murder is wrong.” 

He nods then shrugs. Murder is wrong. He still doesn’t care. He changes the subject with a wave of his hand and points out, “That’s not really what I untied you to discuss though.”

Her lips purse and she nods her reluctant agreement. “…Alright.”

He hesitates for a moment before deciding that dancing around it won’t do her any good, so he goes for the ripping the bandage off approach and announces, “Leopold Fitz is The Marvel.”

The blood drains from her face and she sways alarmingly in her chair before she manages to gasp out, “…What.”

He’s around the table in an instant, crouching by her chair and carefully not touching her. “Whoa, hey, it’s going to be okay.” She covers her face with her hands and he can’t tell if she’s laughing or crying or what, but it’s clearly a strong emotion. He places a hesitant hand on her back and when she relaxes into it he rubs softly and says, “Shh, shh. I’ve got you.” 

“I can’t believe he would – that’s why he’s been – and last week he told me – ” Her words come out smothered but comprehensible from behind her hands, he can see tears leaking down her wrists now and he doesn’t know how to help. 

He continues to rub her back, and after a few long painful minutes she finally drops her hands, wiping at her eyes and taking a deep breath. He keeps his hand where it is and watches her. She grabs her tea with a shaking hand and throws all of it back. He hesitates and then asks, “Do you want some more tea?”

She lets out a rattling breath and nods, her voice is soft and a bit lost. “Yes please. And do you have anything to eat?”

He squeezes her shoulder, trying to offer what comfort he can, and gets to his feet. “I’ll make you a sandwich,” he says as he heads into the kitchen. Putting water on for tea doesn’t take a moment, and then he’s collecting the ingredients for a sandwich. He doesn’t have to ask about any food allergies – he honestly didn’t want her to die, so he’d looked into those before kidnapping her. He can hear her moving around in his little apartment, slowly getting her breathing under control, and he doesn’t bother to try to stop her investigation.

“What’s your name?” she asks from the doorway of the kitchen. 

He wipes his hands off on a dishtowel and offers her a smile and his hand. “Grant Ward.” He offers her his hand and is pleased when she takes it. Her grip is firm and his smile grows as he says, “At your service.” He releases her hand but stays where he is, eyeing her cautiously for a moment before asking, “Are you okay?”

She lets out a slow breath and shakes her head in the negative. “No, but I will be.” She hesitates, bites her lower lip and nods at him. “Thank you,” she says, and then retreats back into the living room.

He smiles for a moment and nods to himself before finishing putting her sandwich together. When he places it in front of her on the coffee table he says, “You’re welcome.”

She smiles at him and takes a bite. He vanishes to get the tea and brings it out, pushing her cup towards her and doctoring his own cup while he watches her eat. 

She’s staring contemplatively down at her sandwich. She takes a bite and her chewing slows for a moment before she gives a decisive nod and meets his eyes. “You know what would really be upsetting to Fitz?” she asks.

Grant has been on enough missions that he trusts his instincts, and right now his instincts are telling him to run. “What?” he asks, warily, eying the petite scientist across from him.

She nods decisively again and wipes her hands off on a napkin before announcing, “If we started dating.”

He chokes on his sip of tea and sputters, “What?”

She waves a hand through the air and shrugs, nonchalant, like she hasn’t just propositioned him. “Well, he obviously knows who you are, and he’s made the decision to not tell me who he is – so he’ll either have to tell me or suffer through us dating, and either way it should punish him and be deeply entertaining.”

He stares at her, baffled. He knows that everyone deals with trauma differently, and she’s certainly been dealing with enough gas-lighting and emotional abuse that he doesn’t feel comfortable taking away her choices. But he’s not sure she’s thinking clearly. “I kidnapped you.” He pointedly gestures at the chair she was tied to not so long ago.

She tilts her head and asks, “Is that a no?”

He shakes his head and continues to eye her warily before asking, “No, just an ‘are you sure’ with a ‘did I knock something lose when I knocked you out?’”

She rolls her eyes at him. Her voice is firm, as she demands an answer. “I’m fine. Yes or no?”

He hesitates for only a moment more before shrugging and saying, “Yes, if I can still kill my brother.”

She wrinkles her nose and counter offers, “I have a truth serum that actually works, how about we drug him and pay a reporter to ask questions about his childhood and some of his other activities instead?”

He blinks, taken aback, and after a long moment gives a hesitant nod. “…Alright, I might be willing to settle for that.”

Her smile is blinding and adorable and probably should be classified as a weapon if the flutter in his chest is anything to go by. “Great. You can pick me up tomorrow at seven. Sushi?” she asks, then shoves the last of her sandwich in her mouth and stands up.

He still feels like he’s entered some sort of alternate reality, but he says, “Sushi’s good,” and escorts her out of his apartment and waits with her until the cab shows up to take her home.

This is not what he was expecting from today. No, instead it’s much better than anything he could’ve hoped for.


	2. the date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma is doing this out of spite – she knows it and Grant knows it. Not that he’s in any position to judge – though, as skewed as his morals are, he is still somehow kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the time stamp request from shineyma for (baby you're) super: Fitz finding out that Jemma is dating Grant.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Jemma is doing this out of spite – she knows it and Grant knows it. Not that he’s in any position to judge – though, as skewed as his morals are, he is still somehow kind.

No, she thinks as she watches him discuss something with the waiter in Japanese, not kind. Maybe it is morals, just not prioritized how she’s used to – seeing abuse as worse than murder and manipulation as something to be expected.

She thinks, as she takes the time to study him – for once he’s not returning her stare evenly, too busy with the waiter – that she trusts him.

He seems to be well versed in Japanese. She doesn’t know more than a handful of phrases, mostly colorful curses, from one of her roommates at the academy. But the waiter was surprised and now seems pleased, nodding intently as he answers Grant’s questions. If this was a real date she’d assume he was showing off – she’s used to her dates having to feel like they need to prove themselves to her and she’s tired of it – but he hasn’t so much as glanced at her to gauge her reaction and – Oh!

He’s not showing off for _her_ , he’s showing off for the _waiter_. Not that he’s interested in the other man, she doesn’t think, although he is very attractive, but rather to ingratiate himself and make an impression.

She makes a bet with herself, then, that they’ll have amazingly excellent service for the entire meal.

Jemma’s not sure how she’d feel about it, if this was a real date, but as it’s not she decides to enjoy the perks of his manipulations. Especially when they’re so harmless.

“I think we should get the chef’s special,” Grant says, turning to her with a smile that makes the breath catch in her throat despite herself, “it’s apparently the best deal, and the freshest. But I know you said you liked crab and there’s none in it today, so would you like to get a roll with some on the side? Akio suggests the spider roll.”

She smiles back – at him and Akio hovering at his side – and nods readily. She really cannot judge his probable manipulation, not when she’s using him just as much. “That sounds wonderful.”

It is.

And she wins the bet with herself.

Akio is absurdly attentive and is clearly trying to help Grant to woo her – she sees him rearrange the sampler plate of mini deserts they order at the end into a sweet little heart. She almost asks Grant what he told the other man, but then decides against it – she probably doesn’t want to know what lies he’s spreading after all. Besides, they haven’t struggled for conversation once; they have plenty to talk about despite not having much beyond SHIELD in common. (And she’s not honestly sure if that counts as he was HYDRA then – she’s pleased to learn he’s since cut ties with the organization however, as even her revenge plans have limits.)

He pays the bill – and does tip Akio well she’s glad to say – payback for the not-fun tying up, he insists with a grin. And then he offers her his arm and they head to the park.

Fitz had remarked on her smiles over the past few days – she’d made it a point to smile as sappily as she could as often as she could around him – and she’d told him she had a date and then casually let slip the when and where, if not the who.

It’s possible he’ll respect her enough not to snoop, and she hasn’t seen any sign of him yet, but knowing what she knows now, she doubts it.

(Still, she kind of hopes he won’t.)

She’ll still help Grant with his brother – if only because the man is currently trying to make birth control harder to gain access to for non-married women – but she supposes they won’t have to keep ‘dating’.

Which is a pity. It’s an easy way to illustrate all the issues with Fitz’s refusal to tell her the truth, and she’s sure if she tries to confront him about it then he’ll end up blaming Grant and not think beyond the other man’s involvement. It’s also a pity because Grant is, certainly, the prettiest man she’s ever had the pleasure of dating. Regardless of the facetiousness of the entire thing, she thinks she might miss getting to watch his face across a table.

Which is a silly thought. It’s not like they _couldn’t_ eat together even if they decide to give up the faux dating. They ate together when he had kidnapped her, after all, and she thinks they’ll at least be friends after the fact.

Probably.

Unless he tries to kidnap her again. (She can’t really see it happening, but she’s decided that would be a deal breaker for their friendship.)

They do a circuit of the park and she’s trying to decide if they should end the date or try to drag it out to give Fitz time to –

Grant stops suddenly and then steps in front of her and she almost walks into his back.

“Step away from her, villain!” It’s not Fitz’s voice, and she has a niggling thought about a voice modulator that he ‘couldn’t fix’ and ‘threw out’ and she’s struck suddenly with anger all the way down to her toes.

Jemma moves, ducking under Grant’s arm and snuggling into his side, arm wrapped securely around his waist as she scowls at ‘The Marvel.’ “We’re on a date,” she says with a snap to her voice, “do you mind?”

Fitz – and she can so clearly see that it’s Fitz now that she knows what to look for – blinks behind his mask. “He’s a villain,” he says, sounding less strong and more lost.

“I know who _he_ is,” she says tangling the fingers of her free hand with the fingers on the arm around her shoulders. “And we’re having a lovely date. Please leave.”

He hovers – literally – and points a threatening finger at Grant, “I know what you’re doing.”

Grant tightens his grip on her hand slightly and presses a kiss to Jemma’s temple. “I don’t think you do.”

Fitz floats forward threateningly. “I won’t let you use her.”

Jemma rolls her eyes. “He’s not using me – I know who he is, what he can do. He’s been _honest_ with me.”

He looks lost, even behind the mask, and if she wasn’t still reeling from the fact that he’d been lying to her for months she’d feel bad. But she only feels viciously satisfied as she presses her cheek against Grant’s chest. “But…” he says, and then he’s frowning again and straightening his spine and any possible compassion she has for him is erased as he says, “He’s manipulating you – but don’t worry miss, I’ll save you.”

She steps fully in front of Grant, keeping a grip on his hand and pulling it around her as she goes – and he takes the initiative and wraps his other arm around her too. “I didn’t realize the _Marvel_ was a bully. He’s not doing anything wrong – we’re on a date, I know about his powers, and he’s been nothing but a gentleman. Now go _away._ ” And then she’s spinning out of Grant’s arms, but only to better drag him along with her as she stalks off.

He chuckles lightly and goes with her. “Feel better?” he asks, as she considers just how much tongue is appropriate for a first date – especially because she has to assume Fitz is going to follow.

“We aren’t done yet,” she says darkly, and then spins on him and drags his mouth to hers.

It’s awkward for a moment, the angle off and him surprised, and then it’s suddenly amazingly good and she forgets she was doing it for someone else’s benefit as she sinks fully into the experience.

He’d told her about his powers.

He’d never said kissing was one of them.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I was having a discussion with Amy about how obnoxious the "don't tell the girlfriend/sister/friend for her own good that we're super heros!" troupe is and how very sick we are of it. And I came up with this idea. So of course I made it biospec. This is my life, these are my choices.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! And for anyone who doesn't already know: my writing tumblr can be found [here](http://capriciouswrites.tumblr.com/)! Come say hi and give me a prompt.


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